How to Write So Your Prospects Listen
Hint: It’s About Benefits Photo by Sincerely Media on Unsplash We do an awful lot of courtesy listening. I listen to my kids tell me the entire plot of a movie. I listen to my husband talk about work. I listen to my neighbor rant about their...
How to Write Bullet Points to Die For
Photo by Glenn Carstens-Peters on Unsplash My daughter is a notorious storyteller. If you give her a chance, she’ll tell you everything about her day. I’ve gotten to the point that I’ll say, “Bullet points, Maggie! Give me the bullet points!” In copy, bullet...
Using Subtlety to Lead Prospects to Action
Pixabay License Have you ever seen “The Saint” with Val Kilmer and Elizabeth Shue? It’s one of my favorites. (Don’t judge.) But there’s this scene where Val Kilmer is sitting in front of a statue. Elizabeth Shue comes to admire the statue as well. And Val Kilmer says,...
When Should You Email Your Prospects to Get the Best Engagement?
Photo by Brett Jordan on Unsplash My inbox is, perhaps, the most absurd place I’ve ever visited in my life. Take this morning, for example, when I received emails that: Included the name of male anatomy in the subject line. (Not SPAM, this one was from a...
How To Share Your Compassion With Your Community And Build Stronger Relationships
Photo by The 77 Human Needs System on Unsplash I read an email yesterday (from a competitor, so I won’t mention who) that revealed an interesting study done in the medical field. Turns out, when a patient’s picture is attached to a medical file, diagnosis accuracy...
Find Your Prospects Where They Are
Photo by Marten Newhall on Unsplash I feel like I need to clear something up. There seems to be this big, content assumption that “if you build it, they will come.” If you’ve got a great lead magnet, people will come to your website and opt in. If you have great...
Do You Know Who You’re Talking To?
The Most Important Marketing Question To Ask Yourself Photo by Austin Pacheco on Unsplash Often, when I ask a business owner who their prospect is, they say, “Well, everyone can use our services/products!” And instantly I know that their marketing content is probably...
Getting Started Is The Most Difficult Part
For years now, when I know I need to write content, I always start with the same word on my page - “Something”. If I need to write a month of social posts, I create a page with 30 of these: Something Something Image Suggestion: Something. If it’s an...
Avoid Rambling In Your Content With These Helpful Hints
Photo by Campaign Creators on Unsplash I was at a conference, recently, where one of the presenters (the one I was most looking forward to learning from) rambled. For 45 minutes. I was sitting in the front row, so I couldn’t work, look through my phone, or...
Does Voice Really Matter?
Photo by Soundtrap on Unsplash Recently, I was presenting at a conference. And I took with me a handful of templates for the attendees to try out. Well…one of the attendees (who owns a branding company) said, “These templates all kind of sound the same. How important...
How to Overcome Email Marketing Anxiety…and Create the Content Your Community Craves
Photo by Bonnie Kittle on Unsplash The latest research is in! And email marketing still brings in $38 for every $1 spent. When you consider that social media hasn’t been very kind to small business owners as of late. And SEO is taking more and more effort. Email...
Beware the Automated, Long Term Nurture Sequence
Image by Clker-Free-Vector-Images from Pixabay Years ago, I put together 52 weeks of automated nurture emails for the company I was working for. The information in the emails was solid. It included marketing principles that have been true for decades. And we figured...
How to Write Content That Gets Read, “Liked”, and Shared
Image by Wokandapix from Pixabay One day, I helped a business owner write emails pushing people to her blog. (A solid strategy. If you haven’t done that yet, try it. It boosts your SEO.) Anyway, as I worked, I paused to read some of her posts. And was...
Keep “Blame” Out of It
Image by Tumisu from Pixabay Do you know what happens when you blame someone for their actions? One of two things… Scenario One: their pride takes a hit. They get angry. They may turn that blame on you. And they won’t listen to anything you wish to share with...
Use This One Sentence to Keep Your Prospects’ Attention
Image by mnanni from Pixabay In an email… …if you waste your first sentence, your copy loses power. And powerless copy can be a business killer. But you want to know something? You’re not to blame. You see, as part of our social mores, we’ve all learned small talk....
Your Business Is Not About You… It’s About Them
Image by 14995841 from Pixabay When the 2020-21 school year started in person…I knew there was going to be a huge shortage of teachers. So, with a background in education, I put my business on hold for a few months and made my way back to the classroom. What an...
A Few Content Creation Ideas for 2021
Image by Diggity Marketing from Pixabay I probably should have done this at the beginning of the year. But better late than never, right? Anyway… I’ve been doing research. Lots and lots of research. Trying to find the new, big marketing strategy of 2021. And you...
Cold Connecting With Your Target Market
Photo by Adam Chang on Unsplash Cold emails. Ugh. Some in the business world would say a necessary evil. Contacting a business or individual unsolicited can be...uncomfortable. And frankly, unfruitful. There are dreary stats (less than 1% response rates) connected to...
What 3 Weeks Off-Grid Taught Me About Content Creation
Image by Jörg Peter from Pixabay My family and I have been “off-grid” for the last 3 weeks. It wasn’t intentional. We didn’t mean to disconnect from the rest of the world. But after weeks of isolation, my children were becoming very agitated. Some nights, I...
How to Write “Confident” Copy
Image by StartupStockPhotos from Pixabay When I was 10 years old, my parents bought each of their children a Christmas present so big that it couldn’t be wrapped. We were sitting in our living room, staring at these gifts, covered in blankets, waiting anxiously...
How to Get People Up Early On a Saturday (Using Persuasive Copy)
Image by klimkin from Pixabay Let’s talk, for a minute, about sales copy. Or persuasive copy. For 13 years, I’ve listened to business owners say things like: I don’t like to be “in your face” People will opt out if I write stuff that’s too promotional I...
Should You Use COVID19 in Your Marketing?
Image by Markus Distelrath from Pixabay Shortly after I became a copywriter (and landed my first job), the recession of 2008 hit. Surprisingly, that actually made my job easier. Because...one of the greatest copy challenges is creating headlines that get your emails...
Why There’s No “Right” Way in Copywriting
Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay Want to know what makes copywriting so stinking difficult? There are 100 different ways to write the same marketing piece. With copy, there is no right and wrong. No black and white. And absolutely no guarantee the approach you...
How I Mailed My Prospects Bubble Wrap …and Saw an 18% Purchase Rate
Want a confession? I am obsessed with print marketing. And for good reason: A 16-page mailer is what led me to copywriting over 13 years ago A simple one-page letter helped me win a bet with my cousin (and produced dozens of new patients for his dental...
Does Your Copy Have That Je Ne Sais Quoi?
Image by Joshua_Willson from Pixabay Over the last few weeks, I found myself saying “Je ne sais quoi”...a LOT. “Je ne sais quoi literally means ‘I don’t know what’ in French. The phrase was borrowed into English as an expression of a quality that makes something or...
Converse Your Way to Great Content
Photo by fauxels from Pexels If you are a content creator (and all entrepreneurs should be) then the absolute worst thing you can do, when you attempt to write, is stare at a blank white screen. First of all, no one’s got time for that. But secondly,...
Free Reports Are Dead: How to Choose a Lead Magnet that Gets You Leads
I belong to several online groups. And one day, a poll popped up in my newsfeed that said, “True or False? Free reports are dead.” “False!” I practically screamed at the computer. But the group I was in believed otherwise. Of all the comments (and there were many),...
A “Trick-Or-Treat” Look at the Marketing Industry
Photo by Haley Phelps on Unsplash You know, the marketing industry isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. But we wouldn’t trade what we do for anything. Not even for an extra Twix bar. With Halloween right around the corner, we thought we’d share the “trickiest” parts of...
How to Run a “Give Back” Campaign and Close More Sales This Holiday Season
Photo by Perry Grone on Unsplash Want to know why Ready To Go Copy’s content works so well? Because we’re not just creating templates. We strategize. We research. We look at what other people are doing. And even as we’re creating content, new ideas come to mind. ...
Holiday Profits: How to Use Seasonal Terminology to Sell More
https://freedesignfile.com/278528-happy-holiday-with-word-cloud-christmas-ball-vector/ It’s the last week of September. And it felt like we were a little late getting in on the holiday strategy discussions. Until…we started talking to business owners. And found out...
Content Creation Lessons From 4th Graders
Last week was Career Week at my kids’ elementary school. And I volunteered to present on marketing. Over two days, I gave six, 30-minute presentations to 200 students in 4th, 5th, and 6th grade. And despite the fact that 2 teacher’s aides have decided to give up on...
Is There Such a Thing as Small Business Marketing Paranoia?
Is there such a thing as small business marketing paranoia? Because if there is, I’ve got it. It’s a Tuesday. I have an email scheduled to go out to my customers and prospects. I always send my emails on Tuesdays. Because, well, split testing revealed that I get...
What the BLEEP Did She Just Say?
We don’t swear in our house. It’s a personal choice. No judgment. But last night, my sweet, just-turned-four-year-old daughter said her very first swear word. She was sitting at the table, coloring, when I heard her say, “And now I’ll draw the d--- cat.” “What did...
7 Of Your Email Marketing Questions…Answered
If you’re new to email marketing, then let me say this: getting started is always the hardest part. Obviously, you know how to write and send emails. But when you’re sending emails to entire lists of people, it can be overwhelming. Which is why we’re answering...
Why Consultants Need to Offer Copywriting Services
At a recent gathering of small business consultants, two people sat complaining about their clients. “They expect me to write their content,” one of them said. “I can’t write their content. I’m a one-woman business. I haven’t got time to write someone else’s...
3 Proven Email Templates That Get Your Contacts to Respond
Ready for a confession? There was a time, not too long ago, when I lost faith in the value of email marketing. Which is crazy when you’re a freelance copywriter specializing in…well, email marketing. But every week it was the same old, same old. Every time I started a...
The Ultimate Opt-In Guide:
How to Attract New Leads and Get Those Email Addresses The greatest challenge for any business is getting people to buy. But slightly less important than a purchase...is getting people to “opt-in” to your email list. After all, if you don’t have anyone to market to,...
5 “Rules” for Email Marketing Newbies to Master
“Did I do it right? Is it a good email?” If you’re new to email marketing, or taking it seriously for the first time, you have, no doubt, asked someone these very questions. As an entrepreneur, you know your time and resources are limited. So, you need to make sure...
How to Write Subject Lines That Get Opened
One of the biggest mistakes a person can make in their email marketing is...not putting enough effort into their subject lines. Many entrepreneurs spend upwards of an hour writing a great email...choosing exactly the right words. But once the email is perfect, they...
3 Solid Ways to Master the Creative Side of Marketing
Use the word “Creativity” around business owners, and at least half of them will groan. Why? Because a majority of business owners are technicians: dentists, plumbers, landscapers, etc. They wouldn’t consider themselves artists and “creativity” is a word used most...
The Fail-Proof Process for Finding a USP that Makes You Stand Out From the Crowd
Why do some businesses stand out from the crowd while others seemingly disappear? That’s a complex question. But one of the main reason businesses blend into the background is they simply don’t know how to project themselves to the forefront. They fail to demonstrate...
The Key to Making Automated Emails Feel Personal
As part of Ready To Go Copy, we have strategic partners who are licensed to sell our content. As of right now, we only have a handful of these individuals. And I work closely with each of them to make sure they are successful. Now, in addition to being business...
5 Things to Blame Before You Blame Your Copywriter
Here’s what I hope business owners understand. Most copywriters take their craft very seriously. Whether you’ve commissioned 16 scrollable pages of an online salespage, or asked for a simple email series, we do our very best work. Because we know how important your...
How to Write Generic Content to Your Target Market
This week, I completed 6 more automated follow up messages for each of the following groups: the prospects who opt-in for our samples, prospects who we have manually added to our database, new customers that buy content, new customers that buy my ebook, referral...
How to Plug the “Holes” in Your Follow Up Marketing
I think I owe all small business owners an apology. Because prior to owning my own business, I, somewhat indignantly insisted that business owners needed to fill the holes in their business. And by that, I mean they needed to cover every “entry” point a...
52 Weeks of Email Marketing: A Strategy Cheat Sheet for Following Up with Prospects
When it comes to “frequency”, “content”, and other email marketing questions, there really is no standard. Several of the “experts” I follow email as often as twice a day. While others, I won’t hear from for a month or more. It’s entirely up to you - the business...
Don’t Overcomplicate Your Emails
Over 10 years ago, I attended my first class on email marketing. The instructor (Matthew Furey) said, “Write something real, share a piece of yourself and you’ll be an effective email marketer.” And that, to me, sounded doable. If all I had to do was share my personal...
Is Marketing Just for Marketers?
I made the grand mistake of posting business-related content on my personal Facebook page. And now, I am drowning in Facebook ads that say: “Before you host another webinar, read this!” “Click here to find your way to freedom” “Fast track your way to more clients”...
5 Copywriting Hacks To Help You Easily Write Follow-up Emails That Build Long-Term Relationships – Part 5
Part 5: Go on a Rant Today, I’ll be sharing the 5th and final hack for writing a great relationship-building email with ease. And I’m excited, because today’s hack allows you to become a true advocate for your customers and prospects. The hack is to go on a rant. I...
5 Copywriting Hacks To Help You Easily Write Follow-up Emails That Build Long-Term Relationships – Part 4
Part 4: Write an Analogy At the church I attend, the congregation makes up the speakers for each Sunday meeting. One day, in high school, my sister was asked to speak in church the following Sunday. By Saturday, she had not prepared her talk. She planned to stay home...
5 Copywriting Hacks To Help You Easily Write Follow-up Emails That Build Long-Term Relationships – Part 3
Part 3: Tell the Story Behind a Testimonial People love stories. It’s the way we connect with one another. We use stories to make sense of the world. We have stories for entertainment, to teach morals, to carry on conversations with our friends. Our lives are steeped...
5 Copywriting Hacks To Help You Easily Write Follow-up Emails That Build Long-Term Relationships – Part 2
Part 2: Answer a Question For today’s “hack” I’m going to reference marketing “expert”, Marcus Sheridan. Sheridan has owned a fiber-glass pool building company for a long time. But recently, he’s been getting attention for the way he’s been marketing his own business...
